


Rainbow

by ectoviolet



Category: The Muppets - All Media Types
Genre: Blood, High School AU, High School Theatre AU, LGBT Themes, Minor Injuries, Other, a gay reading of the rainbow connection, kermit the frog is gay and you cannot stop me from speaking the truth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-29
Updated: 2018-03-29
Packaged: 2019-04-14 08:18:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14131971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ectoviolet/pseuds/ectoviolet
Summary: the lovers, the dreamers, and me...Walter panics when he overhears Kermit's new song.





	Rainbow

**Author's Note:**

> kermit is president of the high school drama club, and is attempting to produce his newest original play, manhattan melodies. walter is a freshman who joined the club after having seen every one of kermit's plays and being encouraged by their mutual friend, skeeter.

Walter was about to slide into the passenger seat of his brother’s car, when Gary stopped him. 

“Where’s your backpack?”

Walter looked over his shoulder. Sure enough, his bag wasn’t slung over it as usual. “I must have left it inside. I don’t think the theatre will be locked up yet, I’ll go grab it.” 

“Alright, but be quick. Lasagna for dinner tonight.” 

At the mention of lasagna, Walter quickened his pace a little. He was pretty much starving after rehearsal, especially because he’d skipped lunch. Whatever the special had been that day--Walter could never read the menu board--was pretty unappealing. He pushed through the school’s main doors and beelined for the theatre, grateful that the halls were almost empty. With his stature, it could be a challenge to weave between the crowds of students. 

He opened the backstage door, and was about to walk in, when he heard something from inside. A faint sound of someone shuffling around. A zipper zipping. Walter craned his neck, trying to see who was there. 

Kermit was sitting on the edge of the stage. Walter could only see his back, but he was holding something, and there was a thick strap slung across his shoulder. 

A few faint notes echoed through the theatre. A discontented hum, a twist of the tuning pegs. A few more notes, which slowly grew into a melody. 

Walter wanted to say something, to maybe close the door and then open it again, to pretend he hadn’t been just standing there like a weirdo. 

But then Kermit started singing. It was slow, hesitant. A little unsteady. 

_ “Why are there so many songs about rainbows… and what’s on the other side?”  _

Walter felt frozen in place. His breath caught in his chest.

_ “Rainbows are visions, but only illusions, and rainbows have nothing to hide… _

_ So we’ve been told and some choose to believe it, but I know they’re wrong, wait and see. _

_ Someday we’ll find it, the rainbow connection, the lovers, the dreamers, and me....” _

Walter was jarred out of his trance. He turned on his heel and walked out, the door swinging shut behind him. He sprinted down the hallways, his feet moving almost as fast as his thoughts. 

_ Oh my god. What was that? Was that something Kermit wrote? Was it about what I think it was about? Am I reading into this too much? Is there any other way to read a song about  _ rainbows  _ and  _ lovers  _ than how I’m reading it right now? Oh my god what if he saw me and he thinks I’m an insane gay stalker. Am I being an insane gay stalker? _

His train of thoughts and his sprint were simultaneously interrupted by a bank of lockers. Again, he was glad for the empty hallways--because there was no one to see him run into a set of lockers face first. He felt something warm and wet on his face, swiped at it with the back of his hand. His hand came away bright red. He sighed, held his sleeve to his nose, and picked himself back up and started walking. The afternoon just couldn’t get any worse. 

He pushed through the main doors, and ambled across the parking lot toward Gary’s car. He opened the door and slid into the front seat. 

Gary’s eyes bugged. “Dude, you’re bleeding! What happened?” 

“I…” Walter stared into his lap. Instead of answering, he opened the glove compartment. “You have napkins, right?” 

“Yeah, they’re in there. You okay?” 

Walter nodded, even as he felt tears gathering in his eyes. He held a wad of fast food napkins to his nose, wincing as he applied pressure.

Gary glanced over Walter. “Didn’t you get your backpack?” 

Walter cursed internally. “The, uh--The theatre was locked. I’ll… I’ll just do my homework tomorrow before class.”

“Are you sure? I bet we could get the janitor to get it for you.” 

Walter shook his head. “Let’s just go home, please.” He was grateful for Gary ignoring the tears now spilling down his cheeks. “I’m really hungry and, you know. Lasagna.” 

Gary nodded, put the car into gear, and rolled out of the parking lot. 

Walter fiddled with the rainbow bracelet on his wrist all the way home. 

///

Walter stared into the mirror the next morning. “It’s not that bad, right, Gary?” 

Gary grimaced. “Uh, no, it’s… You can barely tell.” 

The dark bruising spread from the bridge of Walter’s nose to the undersides of his eyes. He gently prodded at it, hissing in pain. His eyes watered. “It doesn’t even really hurt.”

“Well, it’s time to go…” 

Walter nodded. “Yep.” He didn’t move toward the door. 

Gary stared. “You’re sure that you did that yourself? You know you can tell me anything…”

“I know. I just tripped, I promise.” Walter turned away from his reflection and started toward the front door. “Let’s go.” 

The drive to school felt longer than usual. Gary turned on the radio and drummed on the steering wheel as he drove. Walter stared out the window and fiddled with his bracelet.  

Gary let Walter out at the curb and drove off to his own classes, waving. Walter turned to face his school and immediately met eyes with Skeeter. Her were narrowed seriously, her brow pinched. 

“Who hit you?”

“What?”

She glanced around, taking him by the hand. “Let’s go talk in the club room.” Forcefully, she pulled him toward the school and into the main hallway. Walter tried, flustered, to keep pace behind her, tripping on his feet a few times. She yanked him into the classroom that was home to the school’s Gender-Sexuality Alliance. Skeeter closed the door. 

She turned to look Walter again in the eyes. “Was it someone here, or was it at home?” 

“Skeeter, what are you talking about?” 

“Who hit you in the face?” Skeeter asked. 

“Wh--No one! I ran into something.” 

Skeeter raised an eyebrow. “You ran into something and gave yourself two black eyes?” 

“Yeah! Some lockers!”

She huffed softly, crossed her arms. “I want to believe you’re not lying to me. Why were you running so hard into the lockers?” 

Walter’s gaze dropped to the floor. He pretended to be interested in the dirt caking Skeeter’s shoes. “...Kermit,” he answered quietly. 

Skeeter stiffened. “Did he say something to you?” 

Walter shook his head. “No, he didn’t do anything--it’s…” He shrugged. “It’s honestly really stupid. I’m just being gay.” 

“Literally what else would you be.” Skeeter sighed, brushed her hair back. “Do you want me to talk to him?” 

“No!” Walter snapped. “I told you, he didn't do anything. I just… overheard something.”

“Him and Piggy?” 

“Can we just forget it, Skeet?” Walter scowled, then winced. His hand went to his nose. “I really don't want to talk about it right now.” 

There was a pause. Skeeter nodded. “I just want you to know,” she said, her expression neutral, “I can beat him up if you need me to.” 

Walter snorted. “Okay, ow.” He smiled thinly. “Don't make me laugh right now.” 

“So I can't beat anyone up, I can't be funny--you’re really making things hard on me, dude.” Skeeter smirked. 

Walter shrugged. “It's kinda what I do.” 

/// 

“Oh, gosh, Walter, what happened?” 

It was about the millionth time someone had asked him that. The major difference, though, that had Walter fumbling for an answer, was who it was doing the asking.

“Are you okay?” Kermit asked. 

“Yeah. It's not, uh--broken, or anything,” Walter answered.  “It looks a lot worse than it is.” 

Kermit nodded, but the concern didn't fade from his eyes. “Is… someone bullying you?” he asked, his voice lowered to a whisper.

“No, I’m just a klutz.” Walter tried for a casual laugh, but he could tell it sounded strained. “It’ll probably be healed before the play,” he continued, “and if not, I bet Piggy or someone could help me with makeup.”

“Right,” Kermit said. “Piggy's really good at that. I was gonna ask her to do all the makeup for the show, actually.” 

Walter nodded. “I bet you could ask her to do the whole show herself, and she’d do it.” 

“What do you mean?” 

He shrugged. “Just that she really likes you.” He felt something tighten in his chest. Kermit and Piggy really,  _ really _ liked each other. Walter knew that. “Anyway. I’m gonna… go get to work on the sets.” He turned his back to Kermit and hurried away, eyes firmly on the ground. 

“Hey, Walter!” Scooter waved him over. “Skeeter told me about your face, so I won't ask.”

“Thanks.” Walter smiled half-heartedly. “What do you have for me?” 

“I thought we’d start on the skyline for the outdoor scenes. I sketched everything out here,” he gestured to a sheet of plywood, with the vague shapes of skyscrapers drawn onto it. “Do you think people will notice if it doesn't actually look like Manhattan?” 

Walter shrugged. “I’ve never been there.” 

“Me neither. Anyway, I thought we could paint this part sorta dark blue, and white in the squares for the windows, and then I could get Animal to cut out the top here,” he indicated he negative space of his sketch. “He’s got shop, so he knows how to use the jigsaw.”

Walter raised an eyebrow. “Should we trust him with power tools?”

Scooter shrugged blithely. “I’ll get the paint.” 

///

“Walter?” 

Walter turned. Kermit stood behind him, a banjo strapped to his back, his book bag hanging from one hand. 

“What are you still doing here?” 

“Waiting for Gary,” Walter answered. “My brother. I guess he got held up in class or something, he’s usually here by now.” He began fidgeting with his bracelet. 

“...Do you want me to wait with you?” 

“You don’t have to. I mean, you probably… you probably have somewhere else you’d rather be.” Walter shoved his hands in his pockets, stared at his shoes. 

Kermit hummed. “Can’t think of anyplace.” 

Walter felt his face heat up. He hoped the bruising would help camouflage the colour rising to his cheeks. “If you’re sure. He probably won’t be long.”

Kermit stepped forward, so he and Walter could stand side by side. “You said your brother’s in college, right?” 

“Yeah. He’s doing some prereqs right now. He’s gonna transfer to the same college as his girlfriend next fall.”

“What’s he going to do there?” 

“He wants to be a teacher. He and his girlfriend are actually doing the same thing.” 

“That’s really great,” Kermit said. “It must be cool to have a girlfriend who wants all the same things as you.” 

“But don’t you have Piggy?” It came out of Walter’s mouth before he could think it through.

Kermit stiffened. “I-I didn’t mean--It’s just...” he paused, scrunched his face up like he was thinking. “I just meant how Piggy really likes attention. No, wait, that--that’s not right either--I mean, she wants to be famous when we grow up.” 

“Oh,” said Walter.

“Sometimes I just think it would be nice if we wanted the same stuff out of life. I guess.” Kermit shrugged. “I don’t--I don’t write plays and songs to be famous, you know? I do it ‘cause… I don’t know. ‘Cause I don’t know how else to be.” 

Walter nodded. “Yeah.” He twisted his rainbow bracelet between his fingers. 

“I like your bracelet.” Kermit was staring straight ahead. Deliberately not looking at Walter, it seemed. 

“Thanks. One of the kids in the GSA made it for me.” Walter ducked his head. Lowered his voice. “I heard your song. Yesterday.” 

“My--”

“The rainbow one.” Walter swallowed. “I didn’t mean to listen or anything…” 

Kermit stood still and silent for a few long moments. “What did you think?” 

“I liked it.” 

Kermit nodded. Still avoided eye contact. “Could you… not tell anyone? It’s, uh, not finished. So.” 

“I haven’t even told Skeeter.” Walter cracked a smile. "And I tell her everything.” 

Kermit smiled faintly. “Yeah, she--she mentioned you were good friends.”

There was a sound of an engine sputtering then, and Walter looked up to see Gary’s car rounding the corner. 

“That’s my ride.” He waved to Gary, stepped closer to the curb. 

“Oh. Right, I’ll see you tomorrow, Walter.”

Gary pulled up to the curb, leaning across the seat to open Walter’s door. 

“Yeah, see you at practice.” Walter dropped into his seat, closed the car door behind him. As Gary pulled back onto the street and drove away, Walter turned to watch Kermit walking in the opposite direction. 

“Hey, Walter?” 

He turned to look at Gary.

“Where’s your backpack?” 


End file.
